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Sack back gown

Sack back gown

  • Place of origin:

    France (textile, woven)
    Great Britain, UK (made)

  • Date:

    1755 (woven)
    1755-1760 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Brocaded silk, trimmed with silver bobbin lace, feathers, beads, ribbon and silk tassels, lined with linen, hand-sewn

  • Museum number:

    T.251 to C-1959

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

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This formal gown of the late 1750s illustrates the very decorative nature of women's dress at the height of the Rococo period. The silk itself is brocaded in a pattern of flowers with coloured and silver thread. The gown and petticoat have then been trimmed with silver bobbin lace, flowers made of ruched ribbons and beads, silk tassels and feathers. Such an elaborate ensemble would have been reserved for evening dress, dancing at the Assembly rooms, or attending the opera or theatre. The dress is said to have been worn by Mrs Craster. Before her marriage, she was a maid of honour to Queen Caroline (1683–1737), consort of George II.

Physical description

Sack back gown of brocaded blue silk, silk petticoat, and silver bobbin lace borders.

The gown has a floral design with foliage in coloured silks and silver tendrils with silver flowers. It is an open-robe 'sack back' with robings on the bodice and down the front sides of the skirt where they broaden slightly towards the hem. The hip and hem are shaped so when they are mounted, the gown has a fan-shaped silhouette. The sleeves have scalloped double frilled cuffs. The bodice robings are trimmed with broad woven silver strip lace, which then meanders down the skirt facings, looped with a narrower woven strip lace. Trimmed with garlands and sprays of flowers of ribbon and wired silk chenille and feathers. The back of the neck band is trimmed and so are the engageantes which are edged with bands of silver strip lace. The bodice is lined with linen slit at the centre back where there are two tapes for adjustment. Stitched into each sleeve lining is a large weight.

Petticoat of matching silk. The front is flounced and turned with meanders of woven silver strip lace to which are stitched small garlands and single artificial flowers made from wired silk chenille, gathered ribbon and feathers. The top is cut straight except where it is shaped to the figure at the front waist, and the hip curve is tightly gathered to the white silk which faces the pocket holes. The front and side of the waist is faced with blue silk ribbon which is threaded 'en coulisse' through the top of the blue silk panel inserted at the back of the top of the skirt to tie at an opening in the centre front. The hem of the skirt is faced back with ribbon. There are some tucks taken in the waist band to shorten it. The front waist is faced back with a panel of silk ribbons stitched together with sewing thread. Triangular stomacher of sateen which has been stitched overlapping rows of silver strip braid.

Place of Origin

France (textile, woven)
Great Britain, UK (made)

Date

1755 (woven)
1755-1760 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Brocaded silk, trimmed with silver bobbin lace, feathers, beads, ribbon and silk tassels, lined with linen, hand-sewn

Dimensions

[Sack back] Length: 61 in

Descriptive line

Sack back gown of brocaded silk, silk petticoat, and silver bobbin lace borders, woven in France in 1755, made in Great Britain, 1755-1760

Categories

Textiles; Fashion; Formal wear; Lace; Women's clothes

Collection code

T&F

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Qr_O74092
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